2004
Hans 2021 Song Draft: Round Six-Pick 11-Fall On Me-R.E.M. (1986)

Hanspostcard has a song draft challenge. This is my Round Six pick.
Moving into 1986… My first introduction to R.E.M. wasn’t the radio or MTV. It was an odd video channel on Cablevision in the early 80s in my NC hometown (my mom only had basic cable…no MTV). I’ve talked at great length with Max (Powerpop Blogger) about this obscure video channel. I remember two VJs, one named “Dr. John” (not the musician) that wore blue scrubs and one named “Carrot Top” (not the comedian), that, of course, was a red-headed dude. I have no idea where this channel broadcast from but, it was a seriously stripped down operation. It was just rotating VJs, sitting at a desk, talking into a camera…and playing music videos. The first video I recall seeing was Radio Free Europe, the Murmur version, not the Hib-Tone single (I later found out). I was immediately hooked but, totally missed who the band was. (Interestingly, the Hib-Tone version was recorded at Drive-In Studios in Winston-Salem, NC and the Murmur version was recorded at Reflection Studios in Charlotte, NC.) Fast forward to the end of my senior year of high school and I see some of So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry) on MTV. I had no idea that this was the same band. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college, when Driver 8 came out (another one I like), that a buddy of mine told me who R.E.M. was…a college band out of the University of Georgia (Bulldogs). Every piece of music of theirs that I was lucky enough to catch, I loved. Finally, in 1987, The One I Love broke thru to #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and they seemed to be everywhere. Their highest charting hit was Losing My Religion, getting to #4 in 1991. Out of their entire catalog, which is gi-hugic, Fall On Me wound up being my favorite, with my introductory piece, Radio Free Europe, coming in second. I wish I had seen them live.
Bit of odd trivia…five strange degrees of separation. R.E.M. had a manager by the name of Jefferson Holt. He was with them until 1996 when they got rid of him for sexual harassment. Jefferson Holt is from Chapel Hill and his mother is named Bertha “B” Holt. She was an NC State Rep. from 1975 to 1994, representing my home county (and another one). She was quite the pioneer, advocating for the ERA and married rape victims (which is ironic as hell considering her son’s behavior). My paternal grandmother was in Democratic politics in the 60s, 70s & 80s, running for local office, herself (and on first-names basis with several governors). She campaigned heavily for her favorites and “Bee” Holt was one of them. I met Bee Holt several times as a kid and remember all of her “Bee” 🐝 paraphernalia all over my grandmother’s house.
I guess this makes me closer to R.E.M. than Kevin Bacon! 😉 😊 ~Vic

Image Credit: RIAA
Released 0n August 11, 1986, it was the third track from the album Lifes Rich Pageant. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #96 the weekend of October 4, peaking at #94 on October 11 before finally disappearing from the chart on October 25. It did better on the Album Rock Tracks, making it to #5 for one week on September 6.
“Of the genuinely new songs, Peter Buck’s basic music track for Fall On Me dated back to July of 1985, when Stipe had written a lyric about acid rain [but], the song had been virtually re-written, melody and lyrics, by the time it came to be recorded. Stipe, who declared in 1991 that “…this may be my favourite song in the R.E.M. catalogue…”, has described the final version as “…pretty much a song about oppression.” Trainspotters might like to know that the counter-melody used in the second verse is actually the song’s original tune.
Johnny Black (2004)
Reveal: The Story of R.E.M.
Page 123
Additional:
R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography (David Buckley/2012/Google Books)
R.E.M. HQ (Official Site)
The Complete R.E.M. (R.E.M. Timeline)
His Favorite Song
Funny Friday: Jurassic Fart
This thing is dated 2004. I don’t even remember where I got this. It predates YouTube. Turn up the sound or use headphones and/or ear buds. ~Vic
Snapshots Sunday: Buddy 2.0
Buddy came to me (and an ex) as a little thing. He had been born under a home 75 miles east and his mother had to leave him behind. The guy living there heard the crying mews and went to investigate. He found tiny Buddy in an upright cinder block, pulled him out and realized he was a newborn with his eyes still closed. He sought help from a veterinarian and began to feed him. Fast forward five weeks and the guy contacts my ex. “You want a kitten? I can’t handle him, anymore.” He shows up with this gi-normous litter box with a cover, that little Buddy could barely jump in and out of, a box of various toys and a gallon container of kitten food. The guy lived alone and traveled a lot so, he felt Buddy would be better off with us. I had lost my very first cat six months prior so, Buddy’s arrival was cause for celebration. He was my baby for nine years. (1997-2006). All photos are my personal collection. ~Vic
See also: Love Your Pet Day and Buddy

09-06-2004

09-06-2004

05-17-2005

I had no choice.
09-13-2004

This was his last Christmas.
12-18-2005.
POTD: Buddy
Going back fifteen years, this is a shot of Buddy, interrupting an exercise routine. This was during my Texas years. He was such a sweet baby and I still miss him. ~Vic

04-05-2004
Tune Tuesday: Love Is The Answer 1979

Forty years ago, today, the #1 song on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart was Love Is The Answer by England Dan & John Ford Coley. Released on March 4, the song was written by Todd Rundgren for his band Utopia. It is the last track on the 1977 album Oops! Wrong Planet. Rundgren’s version didn’t chart but, this cover version reached #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
From John Ford Coley:
Of all the songs we released as singles, that was my favorite. The song, first of all, had a classical base and the middle had a gospel section, which I loved.

From Todd Rundgren (on what the song meant to him):
We were doing an album at the time and, usually, we try and be collaborative when we write the songs because, we had made an agreement that we would share the publishing on all of our songs so that specific writers don’t get the credit. But, that was a song that I came up with. We put it on a bummer album like Oops! Wrong Planet thinking, maybe, we need to put something a little hopeful on it.
The song still has meaning to me. I perform it every night with Ringo. Ringo has his “three hit rule” and I’m taking advantage of a technicality in that Love Is The Answer was a hit but, it wasn’t a hit for me or Utopia. It was a hit for England Dan & John Ford Coley.
Originally, Ringo wanted me to do Hello It’s Me and I just felt that the song, in the context of what the rest of the band was playing, didn’t represent the message I wanted to convey because, “Hello It’s Me” is a kind of a selfish song. It’s me, me, me…it’s all about me. I’m in charge and, all this other stuff. I thought a better song, especially for Mr. Peace & Love, Ringo himself, would be “Love Is The Answer” and, people would know the song because it was a hit. […] they, maybe even, would just gloss over the fact that it wasn’t a hit for me and think, ‘Oh Yeah! Now, I remember him singing this song.’ So, for me, it’s a high point of the evening and, hopefully, the audience is getting the message.
Glen Campbell recorded the song in 2004 on his Love Is The Answer: 24 Songs of Faith, Hope and Love album. It remains a favorite of Christian artists.
Movie Monday: The Passion of The Christ 2004

Fifteen years ago, today, the #1 film at the box office was The Passion of the Christ, a biblical drama starring Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Monica Bellucci, Claudia Gerini and Sergio Rubini. Directed by Mel Gibson, the screenplay was co-written by Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald. Released February 25, it was based on The Passion of Jesus in the New Testament and Clemens Brentano‘s The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the first volume of his records (notes) from conversations regarding meditations by Anne Catherine Emmerich, a canoness, mystic, visionary and stigmatist. John Debney was composer and cinematographer was Caleb Deschanel (father of Emily & Zooey Deschanel).
The Passion of the Christ focuses on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth’s life. The film begins in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus has gone to pray after sitting [at] the Last Supper. Jesus must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and, his trial results in a condemnation to death.

Quotes
From Roger Ebert:
If ever there was a film with the correct title, that film is Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie is 126 minutes long and, I would guess that at least 100 of those minutes, maybe more, are concerned, specifically and graphically, with the details of the torture and death of Jesus. This is the most violent film I have ever seen.
What Gibson has provided for me, for the first time in my life, is a visceral idea of what the Passion consisted of. That his film is superficial in terms of the surrounding message — that we get only a few passing references to the teachings of Jesus — is, I suppose, not the point. This is not a sermon or a homily but, a visualization of the central event in the Christian religion. Take it or leave it.
David Ansen, a critic I respect, finds in Newsweek that Gibson has gone too far. “The relentless gore is self-defeating,” he writes. “Instead of being moved by Christ’s suffering or awed by his sacrifice, I felt abused by a filmmaker intent on punishing an audience, for who knows what sins.” This is a completely valid response to the film, and I quote Ansen because I suspect he speaks for many audience members, who will enter the theater in a devout or spiritual mood and emerge deeply disturbed. You must be prepared for whippings, flayings, beatings, the crunch of bones, the agony of screams, the cruelty of the sadistic centurions, the rivulets of blood that crisscross every inch of Jesus’ body. Some will leave before the end.
*David Edelstein with Slate Magazine
* Jami Bernard with New York Daily News
Trivia Bits
♦ On February 11, 2008, Benedict Fitzgerald filed a lawsuit against Mel Gibson and the production company Icon Productions, alleging the unfair deprivation of compensation and deception on the overall expense of the film production budget after the blockbuster box office success of the film The Passion of the Christ, including, but not limited to, “fraud, breach of contract & unjust enrichment” seeking unspecified damages.
♦ Jim Caviezel experienced a shoulder separation when the 150lbs cross dropped on his shoulder. The scene is still in the movie.
♦ In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Jim Caviezel spoke about a few of the difficulties he experienced while filming. This included being accidentally whipped twice, which has left a 14-inch scar on his back. Caviezel also admitted he was struck by lightning while filming the Sermon on the Mount and during the crucifixion, experienced hypothermia during the dead of winter in Italy.
Nominations, Awards & Other Accolades
The Earth: A Progress Report
A Blog Post From: The Chris Thomas Files

Current Thinking
As we begin our return to being a full “Human Being”, many people’s thoughts are turning to the Earth and wanting to help to re-awaken Her consciousness. Whilst these thoughts are, on the face of it, admirable, the question arises as to whether the Earth actually requires our assistance or not? Does She require to be re-awoken or have some people misread the situation? The main problem is one of scale. If you look at the photograph, above, you will see, through the clouds, North and South America in their place within the oceans and, the sphere of the Earth. What is not shown in the photograph is any thing to do with man. Even our cities are too small to register within the continents, let alone individual people. Yet, the photograph encompasses the whole of the Earth. In other words, on the scale at which the Earth exists, humans, along with all of our endeavours, do not even register.
The Earth is a soul, a consciousness, who has survived through many trials and disasters in order to fulfil Her promise. She is an immense consciousness capable of acts of Creation unseen in any other region of our Universe. Throughout the whole of Her existence, She has nurtured life and, in particular, nurtured humanity to the point where we can fulfil our own promise and potential. We are tiny, insignificant souls in comparison to the immensity of the Earth’s own soul and, yet, human arrogance has led many to believe that the Earth needs our help at this time of change.
All loving thoughts that humans direct towards the Earth are, obviously, appreciated by Her but, we must remember the difference in scale, the difference in soul potential, that exists between humans and the Earth. In all of the [many] millennia of Her existence, She has never slept and, She has never forgotten the life that relies on Her for their physical presence and well-being. As humans begin to fulfil our potential, in terms of soul re-integration, She is with us. She is supporting us and, She is providing all of the love and nurture that we humans will allow Her to give to us. But, we live in a Universe that is founded on the energies of freedom of choice and, so, Her activities and support are limited by how much we choose to let Her do on our behalf.
If we throw back Her help, such as by attempting to build “portals”, it holds Her back. If there was a need for “portals” that opened gateways to regions outside of the solar system, She would have already built them for us. The fact that they do not exist is very clear evidence that those who have asked for the portals to be built are not working with the Earth but, against Her. Another recent request that has arisen from those who are not working with the Earth has been to “charge up the Earth’s crystal deposits”. In order to help us with all of the energies we require to make our consciousness change, the Earth energised all of Her crystal deposits on the 2nd of August 2004. The recent call to “charge up the crystals” was an attempt to take control of the energies, that are helping people, away from the control of the Earth and transfer all of that energy into the control of a race that does not have the Earth’s, or humanity’s, best interests at heart.

To understand just how much the Earth is doing to help and guide people through our soul re-integration, we need to take a brief look at what She has done in the past to bring us to the point where we can now, at long last, begin to be ourselves and, return to being true Human Beings once again. In understanding Her role and the extent of Her desire for true Human life, we can also begin to understand that we are the masters of our own destiny and, that, we do not need help from anywhere or anyone other than from the Earth Herself.
Earth History
Our solar system was deliberately designed to be an experiment. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether life at the energies we consider to be physical could actually exist. Throughout the Universe, many, many billions of souls exist. Some are souls that make up galaxies, some are souls that make up solar systems, some souls are more or less “human sized” but, have no physical density at all and some are also more or less “human sized” but, do have physical bodies that are considerably less dense than human bodies. So, there was a form of life that was missing…“physical” life-forms that live on “physical” planets. This is the purpose of our solar system…to explore the possibilities offered by being physical.
A region of an outlying galaxy was selected to be the host for this physical experiment where a sun already existed. This lone sun was also a consciousness, a soul. This solar soul agreed to provide the nurturing energies to a solar system that was formed from thirteen souls who wished to take on “physical” energy densities and explore the different forms of life that being physical could conjure up. This all happened 40 million years ago. This time-scale is greatly at odds with current “scientific” thinking but, this is the time frame that is recorded in the Akashic. The scientific time scale, that of 4 billion years, is based on the assumed age of a meteor that could have arrived on Earth from anywhere within the Universe and, so, is no more than a false assumption.
Our solar system is contained within an energy “envelope” that is shaped a little like a rugby ball. This envelope was necessary in order to keep out all of the other energy patterns that exist within our galaxy and within our Universe. There is not much point in creating an experimental region of space if it could be contaminated by energy patterns that could make the experiment pointless. So, we exist in a controlled and protected “envelope” that originally contained thirteen souls who had taken on the role of forming physical planets that could create and nurture as diverse a range of physical forms of life as possible.
All were successful.
All thirteen planets began to form 40 million years ago, each expressing the “personality” of their soul in the forms of life they created. Individual souls are Created by the Creator, planetary life is created by the soul of the planet. However, the soul that is the Earth took Her time to consider all options before She settled down to experiment with the type of life-forms She wanted to develop. In this way, life on Earth only began to develop 25 million years ago. Again, this is very much at odds with the scientific view of life on Earth. However, if you research back through the history of scientific thinking, you will find that this figure of 25 million years is one which was favoured by scientists for a number of years. It only changed when the “new” science of geology came along and tried to find answers to the ages of rock strata. Most of the assumptions made by these early geologists turn out to be based on false premises but, scientists being scientists, they have not admitted to their mistakes and, have maintained the false theories and incorporated these false dates into current thinking. When the meteorite, mentioned above, was found, they came up with this new age of 4 billion years for the Earth. The technique used to arrive at this date has never been explained, adequately. It seems to have primarily been conjecture and wishful thinking.
To continue reading, download the PDF version (it’s nine pages) HERE.
[Note: This PDF was originally posted on the One-Vibration Forum Blog on January 6, 2012.]
30-Day Song Challenge: Day 19

A song that makes you think about life…
Three songs, submitted for your approval.
“There’s no free rides, no one said it’d be easy…
The old man told me this my son I’m telling it to you…
Days turn to minutes…
And minutes to memories…
So, suck it up and tough it out…
Be the best you can…”
Though I am not really a Springsteen fan, I love this song.
“You might need somethin’ to hold on to…
When all the answers, they don’t amount to much…
Somebody that you could just to talk to…
And a little of that Human Touch…
Do you think what I’m askin’s too much?”
“There’s a light at each end of this tunnel…
You shout, ’cause you’re just as far in as you’ll ever be out…
And these mistakes you’ve made, you’ll just make them again…
If you only try turning around…
But you can’t jump the track, we’re like cars on a cable…
And life’s like an hourglass, glued to the table…
No one can find the rewind button now…”
Late add…